5 ms·

So if I'm getting what you're saying, then if I make an app that lets people design and generate their own apps (like Eclipse), using GPL would NOT force them t

by sbjs 8y ago

So if I'm getting what you're saying, then if I make an app that lets people design and generate their own apps (like Eclipse), using GPL would NOT force them to use GPL on the apps they create with it. But if I give them a runtime (like Unity), using GPL forces them to release their apps under GPL too?

tptacek 8y ago
Probably. GPL "infects" code that's linked to it, so a GPL'd library can only be used in GPL'd programs. A GPL'd text editor doesn't "infect" source code, of course. A GPL'd runtime probably infects the applications that depend on it, but might not if apps can run without linking directly to it. If you care a lot about GPL infection, this is a problem AGPL addresses; by the logic of the AGPL, even just using your code on a server as part of an ensemble in a SAAS app triggers infection. AGPL can be a reasonable choice, but people will grump about it, because it means it can't be used in commercial SAAS apps.
- sbjs 8y ago
  I don't think the commercial aspect of AGPL helps me a lot since my app will use Electron to let people make Electron apps, and there's no way to keep Electron apps closed source. But it does sound like it protects me in the event that I get a source of donations from Patreon, so that contributors can't sue me to get some of the donations since they would have to sign an agreement. That said, I am not opposed to sharing donations with contributors based on contribution percentages, knowing I would be the one writing almost all the code. But I don't understand the legality of all this and I am wondering if they'd be open to suing to get some of the donation money! I try to be business minded like this because even though most of humanity tries to do the right thing, there's always eventually some bad actors who come in and try to take advantage of people.
  - aroberge 8y ago
    I am not a lawyer ... Patreon allow people to get money from their "fans". You could make one or one hundred different app, each with their own licence, and it would (should) be irrelevant for support you get through Patreon.
  - lucideer 8y ago
    > there's no way to keep Electron apps closed source Please don't confuse open-source with visible-source. If you release an All Rights Reserved Electron app, no-one can legally copy the code, even if it's viewable. See, for example, the closed-but-viewable-source Vivaldi browser.
    - sbjs 8y ago
      I did not know that, thank you! This opens up a lot of possibilities...

by sbjs 8y ago

tptacek 8y ago

Probably. GPL "infects" code that's linked to it, so a GPL'd library can only be used in GPL'd programs. A GPL'd text editor doesn't "infect" source code, of course. A GPL'd runtime probably infects the applications that depend on it, but might not if apps can run without linking directly to it. If you care a lot about GPL infection, this is a problem AGPL addresses; by the logic of the AGPL, even just using your code on a server as part of an ensemble in a SAAS app triggers infection. AGPL can be a reasonable choice, but people will grump about it, because it means it can't be used in commercial SAAS apps.

sbjs 8y ago
I don't think the commercial aspect of AGPL helps me a lot since my app will use Electron to let people make Electron apps, and there's no way to keep Electron apps closed source. But it does sound like it protects me in the event that I get a source of donations from Patreon, so that contributors can't sue me to get some of the donations since they would have to sign an agreement. That said, I am not opposed to sharing donations with contributors based on contribution percentages, knowing I would be the one writing almost all the code. But I don't understand the legality of all this and I am wondering if they'd be open to suing to get some of the donation money! I try to be business minded like this because even though most of humanity tries to do the right thing, there's always eventually some bad actors who come in and try to take advantage of people.
- aroberge 8y ago
  I am not a lawyer ... Patreon allow people to get money from their "fans". You could make one or one hundred different app, each with their own licence, and it would (should) be irrelevant for support you get through Patreon.
- lucideer 8y ago
  > there's no way to keep Electron apps closed source Please don't confuse open-source with visible-source. If you release an All Rights Reserved Electron app, no-one can legally copy the code, even if it's viewable. See, for example, the closed-but-viewable-source Vivaldi browser.
  - sbjs 8y ago
    I did not know that, thank you! This opens up a lot of possibilities...